Eddie Carroll, the actor best known to Disney fans as the voice of Jiminy Cricket since 1973, has reportedly passed away at the age of 76.

The news comes from the International Jack Benny Fan Club which has no current additional information other than his death, although additional news is promised soon.

Carroll was also known for his impression of Jack Benny, which he performed on stage in his show Laughter in Bloom. The site currently lists all upcoming shows as postponed due to an injury Mr. Carroll sustained earlier in the year, but reports in the Jack Benny Fan Club forum have reported that he had recovered well so there is no indication as to what the injury was and whether his death is related to it.

Five teenagers – the Kingdom Keepers – have been transformed into Disney Holographic Images (DHIs) that thrill guests as they guide them through each of the Disney parks. In truth, the Disney Imagineers created the DHIs to protect Disney’s theme parks from the Overtakers, classic Disney villains, who are trying to seize the parks and use them for their own evil agendas. Ridley Pearson’s Kingdom Keepers book series follows these heroes on behind-the-scenes adventures in the magical world of the Disney parks – and in Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow, the action happens in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. (Disney-Hyperion Books, ages 10 and up, $17.99)

License! Global, the premier publication for brand extensions and retail intelligence, and the official publication for Licensing International Expo, the World’s Brand and Property Marketplace, today announced the Top 125 Global Licensors. This exclusive list ranks and analyzes the world’s largest brands and licensing companies by total revenue of licensed products at retail.

Your little one will love this lifelike baby doll with his soft, cuddly fabric body and vinyl arms, legs and face. With dazzling blue eyes that open and close, this realistic baby encourages nurturing play. Eighteen inches tall, he comes dressed in an adorable yellow onesie with matching bonnet, and has his own magical bottle of milk that disappears while he drinks! A perfect first doll for your special child. Machine washable on gentle cycle. Flame retardant.

It will be a magical trip down memory lane this month as the Hollywood Show hosts a reunion of beloved members of the original Mickey Mouse Club. Tommy Kirk, Tommy Cole, Cubby O’Brien, Doreen Tracy, Karen Pendleton, Bobby Burgess, Sharon Baird, David Stollery and Tim Considine will all be appearing at the event, which runs April 24 and 25 at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel & Convention Center (2500 North Hollywood Way Burbank, Calif.). James MacArthur (Swiss Family Robinson) and Steven R. Stevens (Walt Disney Presents: Annette) will also be in attendance!

In honor of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, Disney Store unveiled a new line of eco-friendly merchandise today. Featuring the tag line ‘Save Planet Earth’ and featuring Alien from Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3, the new line of merchandise will be available at Disney Store locations nationwide only from April 12 though Earth Day, April 22.

Now available at Toys ‘R’ Us, the Disney Store, DisneyStore.com and the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, we first came across Disney Pook-A-Looz last year at the Disney D23 Expo and instantly fell in love. Their official tagline is Too cute for their own good and we couldn’t agree more!

The quirky, offbeat take on classic Disney characters was inspired by the urban vinyl toy culture which has progressively been taking the nation by storm and helps to accentuate physical features that the characters are traditionally known for.

‘We focused on capturing one key element, gesture or trait of each character during the design process. We wanted the look to be very unique, quirky and cool,’ said Jose Zamora, lead designer. ‘When you think of the Queen of Hearts, you think of her mouth, so we brought that out in the design. With the Cheshire Cat, you think of the teeth. So we focused on that famous grin.’

The initial collectible set of 20 is available from DisneyStore.com and some individual Pook-A-Looz can be found Disney Store retail locations, the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort and at Toys ‘R’ Us which also sells Pook-A-Looz-inspired accessories such as keychains and clothing with more on the way. Some Pook-A-Looz, such as the Jack Skellington and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas can only be found at the Disney theme parks and keep an eye out for seasonal and other Pook-A-Looz in the future such as the Muppets collection which is expected to be released in Fall of 2011 (and consider this our request for Maleficent). Be sure check out the official Disney Pook-A-Looz website for more information and photos (including their really cute backsides).

With special thanks to Disney Consumer Products, we have hi-res images of the initial collection. We do advise that if you own a pair of sunglasses with cuteness protection factor of at least 15, that you wear them before clicking the thumbnails below. We’ve also thrown in a few of our own photos from the Disney D23 Pook-A-Looz exibit including our most prized possession — the D23 exclusive Steamboat Willie keychain.

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The Disney Pook-A-Looz plushes retail for $12.99 each while the keychains retail for $7.99 each.

Star Wars Weekends 2010 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World resort is slowly creeping upon us and the news is starting to seep in. So far we’ve learned about the extremely limited edition and extremely awesome Stitch as the Emperor’s Hologram action figure (buy us ten!), the celebrity guest list and little more.

Today, the tides have changed a bit (probably due to the Forest Moon of Endor) and we have news from the Disney Parks blog on upcoming SWW exclusive pins, including Annual Passholder and — for the very first time — DVC Member exclusive items as well as special pins and sets commemorating the 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back.

Brad Raymond and Helen Kalafatic, director and producer of Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (available on Disney blu-ray and DVD on September 21) will be at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Saturday, April 3 greeting guests at the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden from 2:30 – 3:30 pm.

For more information on the film and to see stills and a sneak peek, click here.